Stakeholders in the education sector have agreed to set the minimum benchmark score for university admissions at 140.
This decision was made during a policy meeting in Abuja on Thursday, according to the Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede.
“This is not the cut-off mark for all universities. JAMB does not set a cut-off mark. We have a minimum benchmark score that any university cannot go below. Different universities have their benchmark scores,” explained Prof. Oloyede.
At the meeting, it was revealed that institutions such as Pan-Atlantic University, Covenant University, Obafemi Awolowo University, and the University of Lagos had set their benchmark scores at 200 and above.
During the meeting, the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, rescinded a previous decision to set the minimum admission age at 18, allowing institutions to admit candidates who are 16 years old starting from 2025.
This change came after protests and arguments that students under 18 had already taken and passed the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination and were awaiting admission.
Prof. Mamman acknowledged the practical reasons for allowing 16-year-olds to be admitted this year, saying, “For practical reasons, for this year, I will allow it to stand.”
Supporting the motion, Vice Chancellor of Elizade University, Prof. Kayode Thadius Ijiadunola, argued, “What happens to those who have written this year’s exams and passed their exams? We reject 18 years as the minimum age requirement and are proposing 16 years.”
The policy meeting, which is an annual event, also approved 100 as the cut-off mark for polytechnics and colleges of education. The meeting was attended by heads of institutions and was chaired by the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman.
During the meeting, Prof. Oloyede urged everyone to pay attention and clarified that the individual institutions could raise their minimum benchmark scores but could not go below what was approved at the policy meeting.
“We thank the minister for conceding, but from next year, we will enforce it,” said Prof. Oloyede, reiterating the decision amidst resounding applause.
The policy meeting authorized the commencement of admissions into tertiary institutions across the country, following the successful conduct of the 2024 UTME, which saw 1,904,189 candidates sit for the examination out of the 1,989,668 registered.
